A Bellanaleck family has “had enough” of cars crashing into a fence at the end of their lane and are calling for Transport NI to erect a crash barrier.

Martina McGovern came home from work last Thursday evening to find the wooden fence at the end of her lane on the main Enniskillen to Derrylin road smashed, with debris from a crashed car scattered all around.

“This is the third time in three years someone has crashed into the fence; it happened in August 2014 and October 2013. The first time it cost £200 to fix, last year the man who’d crashed paid to have the fence repaired and this year we just can’t afford to fix it,” states Martina.

Neighbours told Martina that an ambulance and police car had been at the scene.

Police confirmed that they were called to a single vehicle collision at Drumhack Road on the main road to Derrylin at 10.50am last Thursday, saying there was damage to the car but no injury to the driver.

“I called the police on Thursday evening and on Sunday and noone got back to me. I know the police are busy but it would have been nice if they’d come back to me or if the driver had apologised or offered to fix it,” Martina continues.

Martina’s mother Kathleen ended up in Intensive Care 18 years ago after a car collided with her as she attempted to drive onto the Main Road from her laneway. That accident resulted in the family erecting the fence and using a second laneway onto a side road that leads to the Main Road.

Martina is increasingly concerned about her mother’s safety as well as that of the three school children who walk down the lane to get to the school bus.

“The problem is there’s a hill just before the wooden fence and drivers seem to pick up speed coming down the hill. There’s a sign but people must not be reading it. We are worried about people being hit. It’s becoming an annual thing for people to crash into our fence and we’ve have had enough. Hopefully Roads Service or the Council can put up a guard rail or a crash barrier,” Martina continues.

“We are calling for someone to take notice and to do something about it.” In response, a spokesman for Transport NI told The Impartial Reporter: ““The Department has, this week, received a request regarding this matter. The issue is currently under consideration.”